POMED Notes: “U.S. and Iran: Between Human Rights, Diplomacy and Sanctions”
November 5th, 2009 by Jason
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) hosted two panel discussions concerning the internal battle for human rights in Iran and American foreign policy towards Iran’s nuclear program in light of that struggle. The first panel, entitled “Internal Dynamics: Human Rights and the Battle for Iran,” included Professor Mehrzad Boroujerdi of Syracuse University, Dr. Hadi Ghaemi of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, and Geneive Abdo of the Century Foundation. The second panel, “Assessing Obama’s Diplomacy,” was comprised of Ambassador Thomas Pickering, Greg Thielmann of the Arms Control Association, and Ambassador John Limbert. The president of NIAC, Dr. Trita Parsi, moderated the event.
To see POMED’s full notes of the event, please click here. Or you can keep reading below the fold.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Elections, Events, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, NGOs, US foreign policy, US politics, sanctions | Comment »
POMED Notes - “Wrong Way on Iran: Representative Mark Kirk”
November 5th, 2009 by Zack
The U.S. Institute of Peace hosted Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) to offer his views on how the U.S. should approach Iran on the issues of human rights and democracy. Kirk is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and serves on its Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, which is responsible for determining annual U.S. foreign assistance funding. Serving his fifth term in the House of Representatives, Kirk is the co-chair of the bipartisan Iran Working Group, sponsor of bipartisan legislation condemning Iran’s human rights violations and chief architect of the plan to restrict gasoline to Iran in response to its violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. The meeting was opened with an introduction from Richard Solomon, President of USIP.
See POMED’s Notes below the fold.
Click here to view a pdf version of the notes.
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Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Event Notes, Events, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Reform, US foreign policy, sanctions | Comment »
POMED Notes: “Implications of the Final Election Results in Afghanistan for US Strategic Interests”
October 9th, 2009 by Zack
The Middle East Institute hosted a roundtable of leading Afghanistan experts to discuss the ongoing Afghan election audit process and the ramifications of this election on Afghan and Western perspectives. The event featured Dr. William Maley, Professor and Director of the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy at the Australian National University and Dr. Rani Mullen, an Assistant Professor of Government at the College of William and Mary, where she is also a faculty participant in the Program on the Theory and Practice of International Politics. Dr. Marvin Weinbaum, a scholar-in-residence at the Middle East Institute with expertise in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Terrorism, Political Economy, and Development, spoke and moderated the panel. All three members served as observers in Kabul during the August election.
Click here to view POMED’s notes from this event.
Posted in Afghanistan, DC Event Notes, Diplomacy, Elections, Events, Foreign Aid, Islam and Democracy, Political Parties, Reform, Taliban, US foreign policy | Comment »
Will Obama’s Words Translate into Actions?
September 29th, 2009 by Jason
Hassan al-Barary of Jordan’s al-Rai newspaper (Arabic) analyses the “four pillars” that President Obama put forward in his speech to the UN general assembly: nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament; the promotion of peace and security; the preservation of the planet; and a global economy that advances opportunity for all people. Al-Barary agrees, in theory, with Obama’s statement that democracy and human rights are essential to achieving each of the four goals of the speech, however, he is concerned that the Obama administration is not prepared for a clash with non-democratic governments. He further claims that it is clear to all that democracy in the Middle East is no longer a priority for the current administration.
Al-Barary also voices the doubts of the Middle Eastern people that Obama’s words regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict might not be effective without the necessary pressure to force the Netanyahu government to halt all settlement expansion. While he thinks the principles that drive the vision of President Obama are great, he questions how Obama will translate his appealing words into policies, and he suggests that what is needed is a position supportive of this rhetoric that creates progress and prosperous dynamics for all.
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Events, Jordan, US foreign policy | Comment »
POMED Notes: “My Prison, My Home”
September 17th, 2009 by Jason
Scholars, Congressmen, journalists, students, friends and family all convened at the Woodrow Wilson Center on Monday to commemorate the publication of Haleh Esfandiari’s new book, “My Prison, My Home: One Woman’s Story of Captivity in Iran.” The book describes her terrifying and inspirational story of survival in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. To read POMED’s full notes of the event, please click here.
Posted in DC Event Notes, Events, Freedom, Human Rights, Iran, Publications, Women | Comment »
The Afghan Challenge
September 16th, 2009 by Zack
The Middle East Progress has released the latest edition of its bulletin, this time focusing on the evolving Afghanistan debate. The issue features an interview with Lt. Gen. David Barno, former commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, as well as recent analyses from Brian Katulis, Anthony Cordesman, Michael O’Hanlon and Bruce Riedel concerning the elections, future challenges and points of optimism in the country. The bulletin also highlights a Center for American Progress event with Vali Nasr on building a wider regional framework.
Posted in Afghanistan, Elections, Events, Military | Comment »
POMED Notes: “The World Bank’s Disclosure Policy Review”
September 11th, 2009 by Jason
The House Committee on Financial Services hosted a hearing yesterday to examine options for reforming the World Bank into a more democratic and transparent institution, thereby improving development outcomes. The Committee heard expert testimony from Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz of Columbia University, Richard E. Bissell of the National Research Council, Professor Alnoor Ebrahim of the Harvard Business School, Vijaya Ramachandran of the Center for Global Development and Thomas S. Blanton of the National Security Archive at George Washington University.
Among many other points of discussion, Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) questioned why the U.S. often sends mixed messages to foreign aid recipients about the relative importance of pure economic growth versus democratic values. To see our notes from the event, click here.
Posted in Congress, Congressional Hearing Notes (House), DC Event Notes, Events, Foreign Aid, Reform, US foreign policy, US politics | Comment »
Announcing POMED’s 2009 Emerging Leaders for Democracy Conferences
September 10th, 2009 by Zack
POMED is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for our upcoming series of conferences in the Middle East. These will bring together young American and European professionals with reformists working in the Middle East to examine political reform dynamics in Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt and the role of U.S. foreign policy on the prospects for reform in those countries. Ultimately, the conferences will produce recommendations for U.S. policymakers on how to improve the American impact in the region and how to more effectively and constructively support democracy.
Each conference will include panel discussions from Arab and American experts on U.S. foreign policy initiatives, assessments of the state of political reform in the region, and the role of the U.S. and Europe in assisting this reform. Primary topics of discussion will include: Elections & Political Processes; Religious Freedom and Inclusion; Women’s Rights and Empowerment; and Human Security and Development.
The 2009 conference schedule is as follows:
Amman, Jordan: October 7 – 9, 2009
Beirut, Lebanon: October 26 - 28, 2009
Cairo, Egypt: November 4 -6, 2009
Americans living in the U.S. or in the region, Europeans, as well as local young professionals residing in those respective countries ages 23-35 are encouraged to apply. Each conference will include 15 Middle Easterners and 15 Americans and Europeans.
Applications are currently being accepted for all events, but due dates are quickly approaching and early applications will be given priority.
To view the complete conference announcement and complete an application please visit the following links:
http://pomed.org/activities/conferences/ (English)
http://pomed.org/arabic-conference-info/ (Arabic version)
Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Egypt, Events, Events, Foreign Aid, Freedom, Human Rights, Islam and Democracy, Jordan, Lebanon, Legislation, Reform, Upcoming Events | Comment »
Women Complete Leadership Program
September 9th, 2009 by Jason
Young, aspiring women from across the Middle East have just finished a 10-day leadership program in Doha. The National Democratic Institute hosts the Young Women Leader’s Academy every year to provide women “with practical skills and knowledge to help them use the political process to make meaningful improvements in their communities.” The women have now returned home to put their newly-learned skills to the test with internships and projects. After completion, the women will meet one more time for a retreat to discuss and share their experiences.
Posted in Events, NGOs, Qatar, Women | Comment »
Clinton’s Conference Call on Iran
August 6th, 2009 by Blake
After Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s inauguration day was marred by protests yesterday, Iason Athanasiadis at the Christian Science Monitor writes that the president could widen his crackdown on Iranian opposition. In this light, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today hosted a video conference with 20 Department of State officials from around the world.
Laura Rozen reports that the discussion focused on Iran, as part of Clinton’s aim to coordinate efforts among State officials on the Iran issue, particularly since its election crisis. The conference’s participants weighed in on their views of the Iranian situation, agreeing that the U.S. response has thus far struck the right balance as Iran focuses on its internal politics. After the conference, Clinton hinted about the next steps the U.S. will take on engaging or pressuring Iran, including international collaboration and sanctions.
UPDATE: Robert Dreyfruss has also expressed concern in the Nation that Ahmadinejad will “unleash the full fury of the country’s security forces, Islamic courts, and paramilitary groups against protesters and opposition leaders.”
Posted in Events, Iran, Multilateralism, US foreign policy | Comment »
This Week’s Events
November 10th, 2008 by Sarah
Monday, November 10, 2008
1:00pm Brookings: Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East
2:00pm MEI: Two Important Initiatives for Bridging with the Muslim World
2:00pm Georgetown: ‘Memo to the President’ by Madeleine Albright
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
2:30pm USIP: Abrahamic Alternatives to War
4:30pm Wilson: The King’s Messenger: Prince Bandar bin Sultan and America’s Tangled Relationship with Saudi Arabia
6:00pm EPPC: The Defense of the West: How to Respond to the Islamist Challenge
Friday, November 14, 2008
11:00am Georgetown: “What Was Promised” Private Film Screening
4:00pm Howard: A Conversation with General Colin L. Powell
Posted in Events | Comment »
Egypt: Blogs, the Brotherhood, and Old Boys of the NDP
November 4th, 2008 by Tariq
Michael Allen has another post worthy of reading today at Democracy Digest, this time he sums up the conclusion of Egypt’s National Democratic Party’s annual conference. There is nothing new to mention here: “most commentators [agree] that it had failed to meet the meeting’s declared purpose of offering ‘New Thoughts for Egypt’s Future’” More interestingly, however, he mentions the influence of the parallel cyber-conference, and the effects of blogging on the old actors of the Egyptian stage, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the NDP. “As the regime has stifled freedom of criticism, harassing journalists and seeking to curb satellite TV, the web has become a vital outlet for expressing grievances and criticism of the regime - and for confronting opposition elites too.”
On a related note, here is an interesting video on internet freedom in Egypt.
Posted in Egypt, Events, Journalism, Muslim Brotherhood, Technology | Comment »
This Week’s Events
September 29th, 2008 by Jason
Tuesday, September 30, 2008:
2:00pm IMES: Public Diplomacy and the War of Ideas: Agendas for the Next Administration
6:30pm WAC: Author Series Event with Dr. Robert Fisk - The Age of the Warrior
Wednesday, October 1, 2008:
4:00pm Wilson: Dexter Filkins: Book Discussion, The Forever War
Thursday, October 2, 2008:
12:00pm Cato: Global Terror’s Central Front: Pakistan and Afghanistan
Friday, October 3, 2008:
4:00pm IMES: Disarming Libya: Background to an Agreement
Posted in Events | Comment »
This Week’s Events
September 22nd, 2008 by Sarah
Monday, September 22, 2008
2:00pm Project on Middle East Democracy: A Time of Transition: U.S. Impact on Reform in a Changing Middle East
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
10:00am New America: Jihadists’ Revolt Against Al Qaeda
10:00am Wilson: The Other Euro-Islam: Sufism in Turkey and the Balkans
12:00pm Heritage: They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It
12:00pm MEI: How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al-Qaeda
1:30pm Brookings: Reforming U.S. Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication: Views from Congress
3:00pm National Press Club: Radical Islam and Its Muslim Critics
4:00pm CGD: Beyond Population: Everybody Counts in Development
5:30pm IMES: The Middle East: For the Next Administration
7:00pm Georgetown: Prospects for Peace: 2009 and Beyond in Middle East
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
11:30am Heritage: Security in Afghanistan: Progress and Challenges
12:00pm Wilson: Algeria’s Efforts to Fight Terrorism
Thursday, September 25, 2008
4:00pm Wilson: Book Launch—To Lead the World: American Strategy After the Bush Doctrine
6:30pm IMES: The Honorable John D. Negroponte
Posted in Events, Events, Uncategorized | Comment »
This Week’s Events
September 8th, 2008 by Sarah
Monday, September 8, 2008
12:00pm Wilson Center: Freedom “After” Speech, Saad Eddin Ibrahim
1:30pm U.S. Institute of Peace: Antiquities in Iraq: Cultural Heritage and Iraq’s Future
6:30pm World Affairs Council: Author Series Event with Marwan Mausher - The Arab Center
7:00pm Politics and Prose: Ron Suskind
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
11:00am Heritage Foundation: Politics, Priorities, and American Defense Spending
12:00pm Middle East Institute: Dubai & Co.: Global Strategies for Doing Business in the Gulf States
3:30pm New America Foundation: Against Us, The New Face of America’s Enemies in the Muslim World
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
1:00pm Heritage Foundation: Experiencing America: Public Diplomacy at its Best
2:00pm POMED: Egypt Today: The State of Human Rights and Rule of Law
4:00pm Brookings Institution: Can the World Be Governed?
4:30pm SAIS: Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search For a Way Out of Iraq
Thursday, September 11, 2008
12:00pm Hudson Institute: The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq
12:00pm Middle East Institute: A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East
Friday, September 12, 2008
12:00pm Wilson Center: Book Launch: Undeclared War and the Future of U.S. Foreign Policy
And you can always check out POMED’s Events Calendar for a current listing of events in the Washington D.C. area related to democratic reform, U.S. foreign policy, and the Middle East.
Posted in Events, Events | Comment »
This Week’s Events
August 25th, 2008 by Adam
Tuesday August 26, 2008
12:00 Middle East Institute: The Iranian Nuclear Challenge
Wednesday August 27, 2008
12:oo Hudson Institute: “NATO’s Counterterrorism Strategies: Quo Vadis?”
Thursday August 28, 2008
12:00 Middle East Institute: “The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation”
And you can always check out POMED’s Events Calendar for a current listing of events in the Washington D.C. area related to democratic reform, U.S. foreign policy, and the Middle East.
Posted in Events, This Week's Events, Upcoming Events | Comment »
This Week’s Events
August 18th, 2008 by Adam
Tuesday August 19, 2008
12:15 New America Foundation: Pakistan: Toward Democracy and Stability: A Conversation on Pakistan’s Turbulent Political Environment
Wednesday August 20, 2008
3:00 Center for Strategic & International Studies: Managing Pakistan’s Transition: A Discussion Session with Ambassador Husain Haqqani Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States
Thursday August 21, 2008
12:15 New America Foundation: Does Nation-Building Have a Future?
And you can always check out POMED’s Events Calendar for a current listing of events in the Washington D.C. area related to democratic reform, U.S. foreign policy, and the Middle East.
Posted in Events, This Week's Events | Comment »
This Week’s Events
August 11th, 2008 by Adam
Monday August 11, 2008
12:oo Center for American Progress: How to Redeploy from Iraq Quickly and Safely
12:00 Middle East Institute: Iraq’s Refugee and IDP Crisis: Human Toll and Implications: A Special MEI Viewpoints Launch
Tuesday August 12, 2008
12:15 New America Foundation: 400 Years of Foreign Policy from America and Its Roots
6:oo Busboys & Poets: Author Event, Raed Jarrar - The Iraq War Blog, An Iraqi Family’s Inside View of the First Year of the Occupation
Thursday August 14, 2008
12:oo American Enterprise Institute: Back from Baghdad: Views from Veterans of the Iraq Mission
6:30 Busboys & Poets: Steel and Mettle: Snapshots of Palestinian Perseverance
Friday August 15, 2008
9:30 Wilson Center: Cities and Fundamentalisms
And you can always check out POMED’s Events Calendar for a current listing of events in the Washington D.C. area related to democratic reform, U.S. foreign policy, and the Middle East.
Posted in Events, This Week's Events | Comment »
POMED Notes: “New Directions for Democracy Promotion”
August 8th, 2008 by Adam
Yesterday, the International Republican Institute (IRI), National Democratic Institute (NDI), American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Better World Campaign held a presentation for the new paper by Kenneth Wollack, President of NDI, and Lorne Craner, President of IRI. Wollack and Craner are also both members of POMED’s Board of Advisors. Their paper, entitled “New Directions for Democracy Promotion” urges the U.S. to continue its engagement in democracy programs abroad and looks at the opportunities and challenges facing the next administration. Ronald Neumann, former ambassador to Afghanistan moderated the discussion.
For POMED’s complete notes on the presentation, click here.
Posted in DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Events | Comment »
